This invention concerns a drain stopper for use in a drain pipe. More particularly, this invention pertains to a reciprocably operable drain stopper, such as a drain stopper for a bathroom sink. Drain stoppers are typically operated by an actuating lever extending into the interior of the drain pipe. The actuating lever has a ball joint that acts as a fulcrum to allow a range of movement of the actuating lever. The ball joint is held in place by a threaded retaining collar which joins a threaded socket formed on the outside of the drain pipe. An internal portion of the actuating lever is mechanically fastened to a loop or stirrup formed at or near the bottom of the drain stopper. An external portion of the actuating lever is attached to a linkage that includes an operating rod which is capable of being pushed and pulled through a range of motion. The drain stopper is in a closed position at one end of the range of motion and in an open position at the other end of the range of motion of the operating rod.
It is often desired to remove the drain stopper from the drain pipe to provide access for cleaning out the drain or retrieving an object that dropped down into the drain pipe. The mechanical linkage of the typical drain stopper prevents the drain stopper from being readily removed from the drain. To remove the drain stopper, one must typically access the actuating lever from beneath the sink. The operating rod must be disengaged from the actuating lever. Then the actuating lever's retaining collar must be unscrewed and removed from the socket of the drain pipe. Next the actuating lever and its ball joint are pulled out of the drain pipe. Only then can the drain stopper be pulled out of the drain pipe. Reassembly of the mechanical linkage is even more taxing as it typically requires several attempts at blindly threading the actuating lever through the stirrup on the drain stopper while it sits in the drain pipe, resulting in wasted time, frustration and, on occasion, unleashing of epithets.
It is also often desired to have a filtering structure in a drain pipe to trap residue such as hair and to catch objects that fall into the drain pipe. Typically, residue and objects in the drain pipe are removed by disassembling portions of the piping, such as a J-trap or the like, below the sink to provide access to the residue to be cleaned or the objects to be retrieved. This process is messy, time consuming and altogether unsatisfying to the unlucky soul charged with performing it.
Magnetically actuated drain stoppers have been developed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,921 discloses a magnetic drain stopper that includes a magnet within a hollow cylinder that fits within a drain pipe. A magnetic actuator is positioned outside the drain pipe and the actuator is manipulated by a rod to open and close a closure member on the hollow cylinder. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,724 discloses a magnetically activated drain plug that includes a permanent magnet on the end of a drain plug and another permanent magnet assembled externally to the drain pipe. The external magnet is manipulated by a lever linkage or a flexible cable to open and close the drain plug. U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,730 is similar in that a magnet external to the drain pipe is manipulated by a linkage to cause a magnet inside the pipe to move between open and closed positions.
While these drain plug arrangements may work, they are not cost effective because they require specialized external actuating linkages. The use of such linkages also means they cannot be used to retrofit existing sinks without excessive expense. It would be preferable to have a magnetic drain stopper assembly that does not require an external magnet or any specialized actuating linkages, but instead uses the existing actuating lever of standard drain stoppers. What is further desirable is a filtering structure on the magnetic drain stopper that can trap residue and objects dropped into the drain pipe. The magnetic drain stopper assembly must be cost effective and easy to use. Also, the magnetic drain stopper assembly should be easy to install and easy to remove.